LONDON – Prince William is having a ball.
The future king was spotted playing cricket outside Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, Oct. 13, much to the delight of tourists and members of the public.
The heir to the throne joined a selection of cricketing legends for an informal game that played out along The Mall, with the city's famous ceremonial route transformed into a makeshift sporting pitch for the event.
The sporting match kickstarted the countdown to this year's Earthshot Prize Awards, which will be held next month in Mumbai, India. Both nations share a passion for cricket.
In 2020, Prince William founded the prestigious environmental accolade with naturalist and documentarian Sir David Attenborough. Each year the ceremony rewards ideas and solutions
that will help to protect the planet.
England's test captain Joe Root was among those who joined the father-of-three for the street match, as did England Women's captain, Natalie Sciver-Brunt.
Prince William will travel to India in November for the ceremony, though Kensington Palace is yet to confirm if wife Princess Kate will join him.
In remarks made earlier this year, William said he was "delighted" that the city of Mumbai would host this year's Earthshot Prize, calling the country one of the world's most "important forces for climate and nature."
"With the largest population of young people in the world, there is a real sense of momentum – to not only imagine a better future, but to inspire change and make it a reality," he said. "Together we can rise to meet our greatest challenge, to repair and restore our planet by 2030.”
Former Indian cricket stars Ajinkya Rahane and Sourav Ganguly also attended the game, which was arranged by British content platform "Backyard Cricket." West Indian former cricketer Brian Lara was also at the event.
The prince posed for selfies with crowds and appeared in high spirits, despite a constant stream of royal drama, largely involving estranged brother Prince Harry, who returned to Britain in August after six years overseas.
It remains unclear if William has seen or had contact with his younger since he moved home with wife Duchess Meghan and their two children. Since the Sussexes announced they would be stepping back from their royal roles in 2020, a wedge has emerged between the two brothers who were once the closest of friends.
William's sporting event comes just two days before Harry and Meghan are due to step out in the city of Nottingham for their first official joint engagement since they returned to Britain.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Prince William joins cricket match outside Buckingham Palace
